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How Sydney lit up in 'tiranga' for PM Modi after snubbing King Charles

FP Explainers May 25, 2023, 08:26:06 IST

Australia’s Sydney Opera House was illuminated in the colours of the Indian flag on Wednesday in honour of PM Narendra Modi. The decision has raised eyebrows as the 50-year-old building’s sweeping curves remained black for King Charles’ coronation, who is also the country’s head of state

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How Sydney lit up in 'tiranga' for PM Modi after snubbing King Charles

Australia is embroiled in a dispute over the choice to skip lighting up the performing arts centre during King Charles III’s coronation in favour of lighting up the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour in the colours of the Indian flag on Wednesday evening during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Notably, the architectural wonder’s sails are coloured and illuminated for significant events like WorldPride, the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The iconic, 50-year-old building’s sweeping curves, however, remained black for King Charles, who serves as Australia’s head of state. Here’s why it happened. Also read: ‘Namaste Australia’: PM Modi gets rockstar welcome at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena The 1.4 billion reasons The sails were lit, according to the Australian news agency, as PM Modi finished his three-day visit to the nation after nearly ten years. He last travelled there in 2014. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese was quoted as saying by news outlet 2GB, “There are 1.4 billion reasons why we want the Indian flag on the opera house because it is the largest population in the world. One of the things about lighting up the Opera House is it projects our image to the world." The Australian PM further added.“Two thirds of those 1.4 billion people are under the age of 35, we want a relationship with them, we want them to come to Australia and bring their dollars."

The tricolour was last displayed on the Opera House’s sails in August of last year to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. It should be noted here that PM Modi is the only leader of the so-called Quad nations to continue with his scheduled visit to Australia after US president Joe Biden pulled out of a planned meeting of the group in Sydney to return to Washington to focus on debt limit talks. Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida, who hosted a Group of Seven summit last week, later cancelled his Australia trip as well. [caption id=“attachment_12642552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are photographed in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated in the colours of the Indian flag in Sydney. AP[/caption] Also read: The row over Sydney Opera House’s decision to not light up for coronation Cost saving measure According to AFP, the Australian state of New South Wales’s premier Chris Minns received criticism earlier this month for choosing not to set sail for the king’s coronation. He made the choice based on the cost to the taxpayer. New South Wales state premier Chris Minns said he had cancelled his predecessors’ plans to light up the building for King Charles . “I would like to keep it for Australia and Australians and moments of sacrifice and heroism for the country, or when there’s an important international event in Sydney,” Minns told a radio interviewer on Monday. The premier said the building’s sails had been illuminated 70 times last year — compared with 23 times a decade earlier — at an estimated cost of AUS $80,000-100,000 ($54,000-67,000 or Rs 44-54 lakh) for each occasion. People had many places to mark the coronation including on television, he told Sydney’s 2GB radio. “The event was not taking place in Sydney, it was taking place in London,” Minns said, adding, “Of course, I respect the new king but I am mindful of where and when we spend taxpayer money.” The New South Wales premier said he would not apologise to those disappointed by the decision. “I have got no interest in antagonising people that believe in the monarchy, people who are royalists — of course not — but obviously I have got to be careful about where I spend their money,” he said. Earlier this month, during his conversation with Chris O’Keefe of 2GB. “It wasn’t our decision about the King’s Coronation, state governments took various decisions around the country. I was in the UK so I wasn’t a party to any of those decisions,” Albanese was quoted as saying by 2GB. The crowning of the king, according to the prime minister, was honoured in Canberra with other suitable demonstrations. According to the article, Wednesday night’s sail illumination will be paid for by the Australian federal government. Also read: Why Narendra Modi uses his PR genius in India and abroad: Four good reasons PM Modi’s rockstar treatment in Australia Indian PM Modi was welcomed by around 20,000 cheering fans, many chanting “Modi,” at a Sydney stadium on Tuesday during his second visit to Australia as his country’s leader, according to Associated Press. Modi shared the stage with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who compared the reception by the primarily Indian crowd at Qudos Bank Arena to a concert by U.S. rock star Bruce Springsteen at the same venue.

“The last time I saw someone on the stage here was Bruce Springsteen and he didn’t get the welcome that Prime Minister Modi has got,” Albanese told the capacity crowd. “Prime Minister Modi is the Boss,” Albanese added, using Springsteen’s nickname. This morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Albanese met separately to discuss ways to advance relations between India and Australia. They discussed enhancing cooperation in the areas of commerce and investment, defence and security, renewable energy, green hydrogen, vital minerals, education, migration and mobility, and interpersonal ties as they signed multiple memoranda of understanding. India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, with the two-way exchange of goods and services valued at 46.5 billion Australian dollars ($31 billion) last year. Australia is eager to increase trade with India as a means of diversifying from China, Australia’s biggest trading partner. Australian efforts to improve trade relations with India have gained urgency in recent years as Beijing has imposed restrictions on certain Australian products. “India is a key strategic partner,” Albanese told Parliament. “We are both part of a growing and dynamic region and Prime Minister Modi is a very welcome visitor to our shores.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News Trending News Cricket News Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook Twitter  and  Instagram .

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